Both Oceláři Třinec and Adler Mannheim won their opening Group D games. However, Třinec was expected to beat Esbjerg at home, while Mannheim’s win in Jönköping surprised many.

“I have to compliment my players. We were well-prepared for the game but they executed well and I think we deserved to win,” Mannheim Head Coach Sean Simpson said after the 4-1 win over HV71. He went on to say the Swedish game is “a quicker game than it is in Germany, so we had to intensify our speed a little bit,” which is what they will have to do to be successful against a Czech team as well.

As for Třinec, they know that Mannheim will be a different type of opponent than Esbjerg, and they will have a different look to them as well. “I can say now that the lineup for the Sunday’s game will not be exactly the same as on Friday,” said Třinec coach Václav Varaďa. “We can only dress 20 skaters and we want to get a few different guys into the game. I want to play at just as high a pace though.”